• California Struggles With Experiment to Shift Inmates
• Source: AP/The Fresno Bee   |   California   |   May 14, 2013
• The shift in California's penal system, referred to as "realignment," is one of the nation's largest criminal justice experiments and has done its job in at least one respect: The population in the state's 33 adult prisons has dropped so much that the system now ranks second to Texas in the number of inmates.

• Baltimore City Council Approves Bill Requiring Contractors to Hire Residents
• Source: The Baltimore Sun   |   Baltimore, Md.   |   May 14, 2013
• In a unanimous vote, the City Council gave preliminary approval Monday to a bill that would require businesses getting large city contracts or financial support to hire 51 percent of new workers from Baltimore.
• 1 Comments

• Cities Fight States Over Mandatory Sick Leave Policies
• BY: Stateline   |   Nation   |   May 13, 2013
• Mandatory sick leave is being championed by several localities across the nation. At the same time the progressive public health measure is sparking fierce opposition in several state legislatures.

• GOP-Controlled Wisconsin Legislature Targets Milwaukee
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Wisconsin   |   May 13, 2013
• Recent moves by the republican-controlled legislature that could hurt the city's finances has raised speculation that it being targeted as part of a political vendetta.
• 6 Comments

• Counties Worried About Potential Costs of Immigration Reform
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Nation   |   May 13, 2013
• Local and state officials believe the immigration overhaul bill will encourage those in the country illegally to come out of the shadows and turn to local services during the proposed 13-year-long pathway to citizenship.

• Report: IRS Targeted Groups Critical of Government
• Source: The Washington Post   |   Nation   |   May 13, 2013
• At various points over the past two years, Internal Revenue Service officials targeted nonprofit groups that criticized the government and sought to educate Americans about the U.S. Constitution, according to documents in an audit conducted by the agency’s inspector general.

• New Bill Proposed to Boost Penalities on IRS Lawbreakers
• Source: Politico   |   Nation   |   May 13, 2013
• In the wake of an admission by an IRS official that conservative groups had been targeted for additional scrutiny, Rep. Michael Turner will introduce legislation Monday that would increase the penalty for singling out ideological organizations —including the possibility of jail time.

• Minnesota Poised to Become 12th Same-Sex Marriage State
• Source: Reuters/Yahoo   |   Minnesota   |   May 13, 2013
• The Minnesota Senate is expected to give final approval on Monday to a bill that would make the state the 12th in the United States to allow same-sex couples to marry and only the second in the Midwest.

• Sen. Rand Paul Lays Groundwork for Possible Presidential Run
• Source: The Los Angeles Times   |   Nation   |   May 13, 2013
• The Kentucky Republican tells a crowd in Iowa he wants to be considered on his merits and escape the shadow of father Ron Paul as he explores the possibility of a Presidential run.

• Voting Rights Activists Strike Back on Elections Laws
• BY: Stateline   |   Nation   |   May 10, 2013
• Trying to stem the tide of restrictive voting measures passed in recent years by Republicans, voting rights activists have successfully targeted states controlled by Democrats to win reforms expanding voting rights.
• 2 Comments

• Minnesota House Approves Gay Marriage
• Source: AP/Yahoo   |   May 10, 2013
• A historic vote Thursday in the Minnesota House positioned that state to become the 12th in the country to allow gay marriages and the first in the Midwest to pass such a law out of its Legislature.

• Maryland Lt. Gov. Plans Run for Governor
• Source: The Washington Post   |   May 10, 2013
• Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown is expected to announce his plans to run for Governor in a speech today. The speech will also lay out several campaign priorities, including a stepped-up focus on fighting racial and other disparities in health care, education and employment.

• Obama, Perry Both Take Credit for Impressive Texas Jobs Growth
• Source: Time   |   Texas   |   May 10, 2013
• Texas has been a monster job creator over the past ten years with steady employment growth despite massive increases in the state's labor pool and a spike in unemployment in 2009.

• California Assembly Approves Two Bills for Transgender Rights
• Source: The Sacramento Bee   |   California   |   May 10, 2013
• Two bills aimed at eliminating obstacles facing transgender people cleared the Assembly largely along party lines Thursday, including one measure to let students choose the bathroom and sports team that correlates with their gender identity.

• Obama Jumps Back Into Health Care Debate
• Source: AP/Yahoo   |   Nation   |   May 10, 2013
• President Barack Obama is launching a new effort to rally the public around his hotly disputed health care law, a strategy aimed at shoring up key components of the sweeping federal overhaul and staving off yet another challenge from Republicans.
• 1 Comments

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• Harry Reid: GOP Now Controlled by 'Extremists' such as Jan Brewer
  
  "Goldwater was wrong, period. His "Extremism" statement is an endorsement of..."